


A Treasure Greater Than Gold

by solohux



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Royalty, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Mermaid Hux, Prince Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 11:32:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18872356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solohux/pseuds/solohux
Summary: Merman Armitage meets Prince Ben on a secluded beach. They strike up an unlikely friendship and explore each other.Literally.





	A Treasure Greater Than Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArmitageRen34](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArmitageRen34/gifts).



> For [@ourgeneralarmiehux](http://ourgeneralarmiehux.tumblr.com/) and I really, really hope you like it! Thank you so much for your support! ❤️

Armitage is fifteen years old when he sees the human prince for the first time. He’s spent the day in shallow waters, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his tail, staring up at the tall, grey walls of the grand Alderaanian palace. It’s sunset when he sees the boy walking along the beach, kicking a stone along the soft sand, his short hair dark and wavy underneath a small silver circlet. It isn’t as if Armitage hadn’t seen other humans, he _has_ , and but none who look so similar to his own age. Being the youngest of the Hux clan of merpeople, Armitage spends most of his time with his father’s aides in training to take his father’s place as head of their clan but he slips away at every opportunity to come here to the shore, to be at peace and to be in his own company.

The little prince is mumbling things to himself as he kicks the rock, obviously frustrated, uncaring that his lavish blue cape is dragging along the sand. Armitage watches carefully, dipping underneath the water for a moment to observe, floating closer but making sure that his sparkling emerald-coloured tail stays underneath the lapping waves. The human steals Armitage’s breath, and he grows more and more curious about him the more he watches him. As he gets closer, Armitage swallows hard but keeps his stoic outwardly appearance. He thinks of using his song to seduce him but can’t find his singing voice, wanting to talk with him instead.

"A little bit late for a swim on your own, don’t you think?" Armitage quips when the prince gets close to where he’s lying. With his tail was hidden under the water, his torso lies on the sand whilst the small, calming waves wash over his back. The boy jumps when he speaks, startled, his eyes making contact with Armitage’s. Dark brown eyes meet pale green, and the human boy frowns, raising an eyebrow.

"This is our private beach," the prince says. "How did you get here?”

Armitage smirks, "My people were here first. You can’t own the shore or the sea."

"You said it’s late for a swim but _you’re_ here."

"I needed some time alone, away from my father."

"Me, too," the prince says, huffing and folding his arms. "But from my mother."

 "You’re a prince, aren’t you?" Armitage asked. " _The_ prince. Queen Leia’s son."

“Prince Ben,” the boy says in reply, sitting down in front of Armitage, a smile on his face.

"I’m Armitage Hux _._ "

"Nice to meet you, Armitage."

 

\- - - - - - - -

 

The next time Armitage sees Ben, he’s just turned nineteen, and four years have passed since their first meeting, since the two spent hours talking to each other before Ben’s two uncles and a flood of the Queen’s palace guards had come walking up the beach, torches in their hands as they called the prince’s name. Armitage had panicked and dived to safety, watching from underneath the waves as Ben reached for him but was engulfed in a hug by his blond-haired uncle before he could even touch the water.

The Prince hasn’t spent much time on the beach, however. Armitage has only caught glimpses of his human friend from a distance, watching him duelling with his uncle across the sand.

Clan Leader Brendol has been insufferable, keeping his son away from the shore, claiming that humans were cruel and wouldn’t hesitate to throw him into a lab for experiments if he was caught. Armitage doesn’t believe him; Ben would never hurt him. The prince had opened up to him about his struggles, his conflicted mind, his choice to follow in his mother’s footsteps and rule over the kingdom of Alderaan or to leave his crown behind to become a paladin like the select few of Skywalkers and Organas that came before him. Rather than rule from behind the walls of a palace, Ben’s heart lies on the battlefield, making Alderaan victorious with his own sword and shield.

Then again, Ben didn’t know of Armitage’s true form, of his tail.

On one mid-summer afternoon, Armitage manages to sneak away from his father’s aides, swimming from the depths of where his clan resides amongst the wreck of a pirate ship and across the sea to the shallows of Queen Leia’s beach. He peaks above the surface, scanning for humans, only to feel elation sweep over him when he sees Prince Ben sitting atop a large rock in the very far reach of the beach, his bare toes gracing the sea’s surface.

Ben still takes Hux’s breath away. Whilst his dark hair has grown longer and now completely covers his ears, it’s his body that has changed. He looks wider—thicker—though still a little on the thin side. His messy hair still holds a silver circlet a top his head, shining in the sun’s shining rays. He wears a loose cotton shirt and a pair of cropped trousers, his boots cast aside onto the sand. Heart thrumming, Armitage approaches slowly, swimming towards the human prince.

"Armitage!" Ben gasps, gaze obviously catching the glare of Armitage’s red hair amongst the blue of the sea.

"Prince Ben," Armitage smiles, coming to hover in the water beside Ben’s rock. "It’s…It’s good to see you again."

"It’s been years," Ben says with a shake of his head. He hops down from his rock to stand upon the shoreline, waves lapping at his bare toes. Armitage remains mindful of his tail, swimming back a little to keep his secret just so. "I tried to find you in the village but no one knew of any red-heads. I searched and I searched but—"

"I'm not from your village." Armitage admitts, his tail swirling in the water. "I’m not of Alderaan, or your people."

"Where are you from, then?" Ben asks, a frown of confusion on his face. He wades into the water but naturally, Armitage backs away. "Hey, stop swimming away. Come closer, Armitage. I’ve missed you. I want to talk to you."

Armitage splashes the water gently as a deterrent but he’s certain that the sun manages to catch on his shimmering green scales; he sees the confusion in Ben’s face, his dark gaze fixating on a patch of water. It’s all over, Armitage thinks. After waiting for years to see the prince again, it’s going to end like _this._ His father’s words about the cruelty of humans echo inside of his mind and, suddenly, he’s picturing himself in Queen Leia’s private fish tank, one that’s much too small for him, and Ben is the one who put him there.

"Armitage..." The prince says, his confusion growing. "What was that?"

"Nothing. It was nothing. I have to go, I’m sorry."

"No, wait!"

Armitage panics. He thrashes in the water when Ben lunges to grab his hand, fearing a cage if Ben touches him, but the movement is enough to bring his tail to the surface, and there’s no mistaking the fin for anything else when it emerges out of the water like a breaching whale. Shoving Ben away, the prince falls backwards and lands with a grunt on the sand, sending his circlet askew. Armitage breathes hard, staring at Ben, whose nose must’ve been bumped in the scuffle as blood drips from it, tainting his lips. Ashamed, Armitage hangs his head.

"I…I’m a merman," Armitage says stiffly.

Ben stares at him open-mouthed, leaning back on his hands after dabbing his bleeding nose with the back of his hand. "Show me."

" _Excuse_ me?" Armitage says, surprised by his reaction. He had expected disgust, denial, or even anger. Not this blatant curiosity.

“The _rest_ of you. Your tail. Can I see it?" Ben asks softly this time, as if afraid of offending the merman.

Armitage stares at Ben for a moment before swinging his tail out of the water, shimmying up onto the beach until his only the very fine tips of his tailfin are lapped at by the gentle waves. The emerald-coloured scales shimmer against the sun as if made of precious jewels, and it’s only from this closeness that Armitage sees the same colour jewel at the front of Ben’s circlet.

"You’re incredible" Ben breathes, causing Armitage to flush in pleasure. "Can I…?"

"Yes."

Beaming, Ben reaches down to stroke the scales, fingers dancing along the edges, following them across the width of Armitage’s tail, gently feeling them and taking it all in. Ben sits up whilst Armitage lies on the sand trying to control his urge to arch up into Ben’s touch. He touches the soft webbing of Armitage's fin, causing shivers of pleasure to race up the merman's spine, making his insides quiver. No other merperson has ever touched him so tenderly, with such a genuine curiosity. Ben’s fingers are soft, his hands large, moving as though wanting to caress every single one of Armitage’s green scales until he knows each one intimately. Ben comes to lie beside him, propped up on one side, his hand still meandering across Armitage’s tail, fingers riding across where his scales meet his skin just below his slim hips.

Armitage turns his attention to Ben’s legs, finding his own interest piqued. Long and pale, dark hair covers the bottom half of them whilst his trousers crop at the knee, preventing Armitage from seeing any higher. His fingers twitch in anticipation.

"May I?" Armitage asks Ben, gesturing to the man’s legs. It seems that Ben barely notices the gesture, so engrossed is he with the juncture of scale and skin. He gives a curt nod however, so Armitage begins his own exploration of his friend’s body.

He discovered that Ben is ticklish on his feet, squirming whenever Armitage grazed his fingers up the sole. He draws small circles up his left leg, fascinated with the coarse hair, poking at when Ben calls his ‘knee’. The skin is rougher here, Armitage thinks, feeling the complexities of this join, smiling when his touch behind the knee causes Ben to jerk. Unable to help himself, Armitage mirrors his touch on Ben’s leg with his own tail, imagining himself with long, pale legs and _knees,_ skipping and running across the beach beside his prince. If only his anthrophobic father could hear his son’s thoughts, he’d likely have a heart attack.

Armitage’s fingers go higher, trailing over the soft material of Ben’s pants, curious about the joining of his legs to his middle, but Ben seemed unwilling to show him, squirming away when Armitage tried to delve underneath the ridiculous fabric that covers the area.

" _Ohh._ Probably shouldn’t do that." Ben says, smiling, his face flushing red.

"Why not?" Armitage cocks his head in confusion. "I merely wished to see where your legs meet your torso. You felt where my tail joins my skin."

"Well, yeah, but for humans? It’s different. That area, it’s—well, it’s private." Ben explains, pushing his thighs together, sitting up, brushing his hair out of his face. All of his movements seem rushed, panicky. "It’s a bit of a…erogenous zone."

"Ah." Armitage nods, understanding. "Arousal. Sexual provocation. I understand. Is that why your trousers have started to bulge at the front?"

Ben coughs, crossing his legs even tighter, and the merman knows that the human had become uncomfortable. Armitage offered up a small smile, trying to let him know that there was nothing to be uncomfortable about; Armitage openly admits that his cloaca has grown wetter with each of Ben’s touches. It’s natural, it's nature's way of showing that they're aroused by each other, basic biology.

It’s a long while before Ben regains the ability to speak.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! My tumblr is [@solohux](http://solohux.tumblr.com/)❤️
> 
> And I'm also on twitter now! Find me [@solohuxx](https://mobile.twitter.com/solohuxx) 💙


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